


Are you bidding me?

by MajinSakuko



Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:41:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29588772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MajinSakuko/pseuds/MajinSakuko
Summary: Vic tries to help Travis get his love life started again and ends up bidding on more than she'd planned on.
Relationships: Victoria Hughes/Lucas Ripley
Comments: 18
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [madnephelite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/madnephelite/gifts).



Victoria Hughes' evening hadn't been planned this way. She'd been asked out on a potentially nice date by Mayday, Mayflower or whatever his name was. Maybe some dancing, maybe some drinking, maybe some more. Heaven knew she could've used all of the above. She'd been feeling a bit lonely lately. Something she couldn't really remember feeling before. A kind of longing for companionship that she couldn't quite describe. And she didn't know how to satiate that need. She wasn't the only one with needs, though, and in this case, she put her best friend's over her self's.  
Vic sighed and splashed some cool water onto her face. She dried off her fingers on a paper towel, gripped the edge of the sink and mustered herself in the mirror. She'd put her hair up in a complicated braid-bun, minimum make-up – that she might have to retouch after the water – and a flowy dark-red gown with matching heels. She looked hot, if she did think so herself. And if she didn't put it on for a guy, she could at least put it on for her own self esteem.  
After Travis' breakup with Grant, he'd fallen into a deep hole. He was glum, mopey and overall unhappy. He might have been open for romance again, but couldn't do the first step. Naturally, his family at 19 was all too happy to help. So for the annual Christmas fund raiser at the SFD, Jack and Dean secretly volunteered the only bachelor of their team: Travis Montgomery.  
“I don't wanna go,” he'd moaned pathetically. “No one's going to bid on me. I thought you had to volunteer for this kind of thing, not get picked by chance.”  
Vic had coughed discreetly. “See it as just that: A chance to get back into the love game! Maybe you'll meet the guy of your dreams.” She'd grinned coyly.  
Travis had given her a look that clearly said, “Are you kidding me? At a place where you get sold like a piece of meat?”  
“It's all for a good cause, Trav.”  
“I know. That's the only reason I'm willing to go through with it.” Another long-suffering sigh.  
“Oh, cheer up! Dress up and have some fun. I'm sure it's going to be half as bad. And I'm sure lots of handsome men are going to outbid each other over you in your fireman uniform.” She'd wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.  
Travis hadn't been able to hold the chuckle that escaped his lips. “All right. But only if you make sure that they have to donate at least 1,000 bucks. I ain't a cheap date!”  
“You're so worth it,” Vic had laughed. “And deal!”  
Vic refocused her attention to the present and adjusted her cleavage. Oh well. She better get back out there and get seated before Travis' number came up. She was going to make sure to check out any potentially interested guys and see if they were willing to spend a few extra dollars to get a date with her best friend.  
Just then the door to the bathroom opened up and a blonde woman in impossible high stilettos walked in. Vic would have called her beautiful, but she had something feral about her that made it too dangerous to look at her for too long. The stranger wore a skin-tight dark skirt and an equally tight blouse. Vic would have believed if the woman had told her that her clothes were painted on.  
The woman gave Vic a quick glance and stalked to one of the available sinks. She refreshed her lipstick, smacked her lips and gave herself a contended smirk in the mirror. Then she looked back over at Vic.  
“Here to score?” she asked. Vic frowned. Who was that woman? “I'm not judging. I come here every year for a test-run. And I have to admit: firemen are just the best. All tall, strong and muscled...” She trailed off, sighing dreamily.  
Vic wrinkled her nose in disgust. Blondie looked as if she was about to drool. And the way she was talking about her fellow firefighters was deeply disturbing. “I'm here for the cause,” Vic managed shortly.  
“Sure,” blondie smirked. “Whatever. I'm here for a cause as well.” She bounced her golden locks until she was happy with her look. “Oops, I almost forgot,” she mumbled sheepishly, pulling a golden band from her ring finger and slipping it into her purse. “Good luck with your cause! I'll make sure to get lucky myself.”  
Vic stared after her in disbelief. Did that really just happen? The nerve, the – ugh!  
“- and now I have the pleasure to present you our next bachelor, number 17,” the voice of the host sounded dulled through the closing bathroom door and Vic knew she had to hurry and had no time to dwell right now, “Mr. Travis Montgomery!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beware of homophobic slur.

Vic was sitting in the third row, in between dozens of outrageously attractive women. No matter where she glanced, most of them seemed to be here by themselves or with a small group of girlfriends. One group caught Vic's eye. At the very front center, she could've bet that was a bachelorette's party. Vic slid a bit deeper into her seat. This was kind of awkward all of a sudden. She had no idea there was going to be such an imbalance of gender. Poor Travis. The only male guests she could make out right now were the embarrassed significant other's of leery women at this men bazaar.  
  
Travis was just walking toward the center of the stage now, a nervous chuckle on his lips. His eyes were scanning the rows quickly, relaxing visibly when he spied Vic in the crowd. She sat up straight in her seat again and sent him a wink and a double thumps up.  
  
“Another hottie,” someone whispered loudly one row ahead of her, somewhere to Vic's right. Even if Vic could only make out her backside, she could tell that woman was stunning in an elegant green dress and flaming red hair, flowing in gentle waves down her shoulders. “I sure wouldn't mind sliding down his pole!” She laughed at her own dirty joke.  
  
Vic cringed. She thought only women on the job had it bad.  
  
“Don't be ridiculous, Ginny,” snapped another woman on the side of the row. Vic recognized her voice from earlier in the bathroom. “He's playing for the other team. I've been doing my research. It'd be a waste of money.”  
  
“Darn,” Ginny muttered. “He does look cute, though. You gotta admit, Mel.” She sounded as if her friend could be wrong with her assertion, or that maybe she could turn his orientation for at least one night.  
  
“For a fag,” Mel retorted distractedly, already leafing through her little folder with the upcoming bachelors.  
  
Vic already hated _Mel_. What a homophobic cow. She wouldn't be worth Travis' time anyway, no matter how much money she was able to put out every year.  
  
“So,” the host of the evening drawled, ripping Vic back out of her eavesdropping, “Travis, tell us a bit about yourself.” He smiled warmly at the firefighter standing right next to him, squinting against the bright lights of the headlights.  
  
“Sure, uh, my name's Travis,” he started, rolling his eyes at his own redundancy, “and I've been in the firefighting business for six years now.”  
  
There were some oooh's and aaah's from around the room, a lot of the women seemed to take a liking to Travis. Not all of them, though. “Next one please,” Mel coughed loudly. Vic could've smacked her.  
  
Travis stopped short for a heartbeat before continuing with some little known fun facts about himself. Like how great he looked in Spandex or that he'd learned braiding hair from his two sisters.  
  
“Well, maybe you and your date could do a bicycle tour to the hair salon?” the host tried to lead over to the next part.  
  
Travis chuckled and forced a grin. Vic knew he saw there were no guys about to raise their numbers for him. Good thing she was here to save his butt.  
  
“Who wouldn't want to spend 50 $ for an evening with this fine firefighter?” the host addressed the audience. “Travis Montgomery, ladies and a few gentlemen as well!”  
  
“50 $,” Vic cried, shooting up her number card. It was the number 4, her lucky number. Several other cards had shot up as well.  
  
“Oh my,” the host drawled gleefully, “looks like this is going to take a while...”  
  
“Or maybe not,” a familiar voice suddenly said from the back of the room. Heads turned around, eyes got wide. Vic's suddenly saucer-sized ones only beaten by Travis himself. “10.000 $. I'll pay in cash.”  
  
“I guess you were right,” Ginny muttered, watching the tall caramel-skinned man striding towards the stage.  
  
“Grant?” Travis squeaked. He cleared his throat and tried again, “Grant? What are you doing here?”  
  
“Well,” the host mumbled awkwardly. Nobody was paying him any attention. And the ladies in the room seemed to realize they didn't stand a chance here. “I guess ten Grant- grand, excuse me, it is. One dinner with Mr. Montgomery for 10.000 $ goes to this numberless gentleman here.”  
  
“I guess I won,” Grant grinned at Travis, who smiled back tentatively.  
  
Vic smiled to herself. She hadn't seen that one coming per say, but she wasn't that surprised either. Travis and Grant had always been such a perfect couple, they just fit. She made a mental note to grill Travis about this later as she watched them exit the auction together. Travis shot her a quick smile, then ducked his head, blushing, as Grant whispered something into his ear.  
  
Vic sighed. “I guess that was it,” she muttered to herself. She had saved the evening, not even spending a single dime. “I'm a lucky charm, that's what I am. And when they have little babies, I'll be the fairy godmother!” She chuckled to herself.  
  
Just when she was about to get up, however, the lights dimmed again and the next bachelor entered the stage. Vic set back down, she was going to wait that one out before sneaking away from the auction.  
  
“Oh, now that's a specimen after my own desire,” Mel purred. “Rescue me, I'm on fire, Mister!”  
  
Ginny and several other women gasped audibly. “I am going to put up a fight for this one,” the redhead whispered back.  
  
Vic scowled. Why couldn't she tune them out? There was a low hum of conversation around her, but Vic only seemed to be able to hear those two. Then she turned her eyes to the stage and her heartbeat quickened. She could see why the women around her had to catch their breaths. She'd seen many men in firefighter gear, hell she saw them almost daily, but none of them filled their gear quite as nicely as this guy here. “Well, maybe one,” the voice in her head whispered darkly, “the forbidden one.” He was tall and broad-shouldered and Vic swore she could make out his muscled abs through the layers of non-combustible cloth. She swallowed thickly, eyes traveling up.  
  
“Victoria,” she admonished herself quietly. When she reached his face, she nearly chocked on her own spit. “Not him, not again, not-”  
  
“Fire chief Lucas Ripley,” the host cut in as if on cue, “ladies and – who am I kidding? - ladies. One dinner with Seattle's finest firefighter-”  
  
“Marry me!” someone screeched. “I wanna have your babies!” another woman added.  
  
Ripley looked quite embarrassed, his cheeks reddening. Vic chuckled. Poor Ripley. “Not so much in control right now?” Vic loved to hate him. He was hot, she would give him that, but nothing else. He was a rule-stickler, an annoying sight at her station, causing chaos in her ordered life. Vic didn't want that. Ripley should stay in his office and leave her in peace. Not parade around her, offering himself up for the highest bidder. And looking too adorable to boot.  
  
“He's mine,” Mel growled possessively when the host started the bidding process. “No matter the cost.”  
  
Ginny folded her arms across her chest, obviously resigning herself for the scraps she was allowed. Definitely not one Lucas Ripley.  
  
“We'll start at 100 $,” the host announced, “who wants to-”  
  
Mel's hand had shot up, the number 6 on her little card, before the host had the chance to finish his sentence. She scanned the room, glowering at everyone who might have dared raising their hand as well, stopping only when she met Vic's gaze. Her scowl deepened.  
  
Vic looked startled. Her hand was up in the air as well. When had been the last time that she had managed to surprise herself? Carefully she slid an inch to the left, so her face would remain hidden behind the massive hairdo of the lady in front of her. Then she returned Mel's glower. She knew exactly what she was going to do with the rest of her evening. Vic cackled gleefully.


End file.
